"Mr. James?" Ophelia called out to the man who had just arrived. It turned out to be their proctor, James Llarme. "What are you doing here? Is the exam over?" Idril inquired, worried that they may have already failed. "No, no, you're just on schedule," James reassured Idril. He glanced at Aria, then at the woman inside the barrier. Aria was suspicious of James; she had heard him say her real name. She pondered why he would say that and how he knew. However, she chose to remain silent to avoid dragging her teammates into an unwanted conflict.
James walked around the barrier, just outside the magic circle. "Do you know who this is?" he asked Aria and her team. The woman inside was silent, merely gazing at James. Aria and her team also remained silent, waiting for James to answer his own question. "Queen Calanis, the first ruler of the elven kingdom of Luminas," James revealed, locking eyes with the woman inside. Aria and her team felt uneasy about this revelation. "I have never heard of that name," Idril insisted, his hand trembling as he looked at the woman. "Back then, the three kingdoms were one, known as Luminas. Queen Calanis is the progenitor of all elvenkind," James proclaimed, continuing his lecture and making Idril uneasy. "Here's a fun fact! Queen Calanis is the goddess Lunaria's daughter!" James revealed, smiling sinisterly at Idril. "They never mentioned anything about that in any books or lectures!" Idril responded to James' revelations. "Well, of course, you wouldn't know, it was erased from history!" James casually dropped another revelation, his hand playing with an arrow bolt. Aria and the team were perplexed and uneasy about the sudden revelations. "You must be wondering why this woman here is in chains and sealed inside a barrier?" James teased the group. Aria and the team were reluctant to admit it, but they were interested in the answer. James looks at each of them, observing their facial expressions then smirks. "Behold, the First Demon Lord of Solandis, Queen Calanis!," James proudly introduced the woman, unfolding the mystery but opening up even more questions. They gasped at the sight and the danger they were truly in. "To know that you have descended from a Demon Lord would be beyond humiliating and revolting, don't you agree?" James teased Idril, winking at him with a sinister look. Ophelia looked at Idril's reaction and found him frozen with fear. "How do you know all this? You're not even an elf!" Ophelia bravely asked James. James looked at Ophelia and smirked. "Of course I know," he said, as he was enveloped in darkness and slowly morphed into a different person. Aria's eyes widened as she recognized the person disguised as James. Her long, blood-red hair unfurled, revealing her snow-white skin, yellow eyes, and red lips. Her black, flowing gown rested beautifully on her body, with the obsidian crown shining with one red gemstone on her head. "A-Asmodea," Aria muttered to herself, her heart sinking and freezing in fear.
"An aunt should be able to know everything about their niece," Asmodea mocks, looking at Calanis with pity. "Look what they've done to my poor, poor niece," Asmodea playfully teases.
"Yo-you're the dark goddess!" Ophelia, in a panic, carelessly spouts. She would run in hysteria if she wasn't frozen with fear. Asmodea directs her malicious gaze at Ophelia. "I detest being called that!" Asmodea angrily responds, insulted at being called a dark goddess. She locks eyes with Ophelia, and then suddenly, Ophelia feels as if her head has left her body. She sees the room revolving around her then falls on the ground. She is looking at the scene on the floor, looking at her teammates from below, she can taste her own blood as she shouts, but no voice is heard. She locks eyes with the dark goddess who was grinning maliciously at her decapitated head. Suddenly, Ophelia's mind returns to reality and she realizes she just hallucinated being decapitated. She lets go of her torch and wand, snuffing out her torch as it rolls on the ground. She holds her neck in dread as she falls to the ground, her knees giving out in fear.
"Ophelia!" Aria catches her as she falls to the ground. Idril, who is bewildered, looks absentmindedly at Ophelia, dropping his torch on the ground and snuffing out the flame. Asmodea becomes fascinated with the poor children who are petrified in fear.
"Aria Nightbloom, how I've longed to see you once again," Asmodea says, looking at Aria who is desperately holding her teammates close. Aria snaps out of her fear, seeing her teammates in need of help. She inhales and exhales, trying to calm her nerves. "I've been looking for you, you know? I don't know how you managed to hide from me for so long, but I won't let you escape again like last time," Asmodea reassures Aria. Her serious tone makes the air heavier. "You have something of mine," Asmodea points at her crown's missing gemstones.
Aria is confused. She doesn't know what Asmodea is referring to, but as she looks at Asmodea's crown, she remembers the events at the trial back at the Royal castle. Zephyr had shown her a red gemstone that was found in her belongings. Then, connecting the dots of the aftermath of the fight there, she remembers the pouch given to her by Dorothy. Aria becomes nervous as she rummages through her pocket for the pouch.
"That's right. That old fool Zephyr was more cunning than I gave him credit for," Asmodea snickers at the thought of Zephyr. "Give it to me!" she demands, holding out her snow-white hand in front of Aria.
Aria has been bothered by something for a while now. Why are they still alive when Asmodea could have easily killed them and taken the gem from her? Aria tests her theory and takes out the holy pouch from her pocket. "Here, come and get it," Aria mocks Asmodea, holding out her hand with the pouch. Asmodea's smile turns into a frown; she is not amused by the cocky Aria.
"You know, that Zephyr. How I would love to break his statue into pieces. But it turns out he was who he claimed to be," Asmodea starts to talk as she walks around Aria, just outside the brightness of the torch Aria is holding. "That pathetic seal of his didn't work on me, but his crafty curse left me unable to leave the castle, can you believe it?" She looks at Aria with a playful gaze, almost amused at her own predicament, and then looks at Calanis. "I spent five years just trying to break his curse. It turns out it was none of the spells I know, an original spell he made just for me," Asmodea continues, expressing her annoyance at Zephyr's spell, but it seems like she admires Zephyr for it. "To be able to create your own spell is amazing in itself, but to create it immediately is something that befits a man of his station," Asmodea sighs, staring at the chandeliers above.
While Asmodea is busy with her monologue, Aria takes out a small vial, opens it, and makes Idril and Ophelia take a whiff of its contents. "So here we are, since I couldn't go out yet, I needed to create my own set of 'Heroes' to do the will of the goddess," Asmodea refers to herself as that goddess, revealing her true intentions to Aria. "It was really great timing that you came here, Aria Nightbloom," Asmodea smiles at Aria, almost genuinely. "It was truly the goddess' will," Asmodea declares, pointing at herself. "Two birds with one stone, right?" she adds.
Aria then realizes that this was Asmodea's plan all along. From the time she entered the dungeon, to the accidental path they took, until she solved the puzzle to the sealing chamber, Asmodea has been following her movements since she woke up in Dorothy's cabin. She couldn't escape her after all, the thought dawns on her.
"Ophelia, Idril, let's go. This woman cannot hurt us," Aria says, helping her teammates who have snapped out of their fear thanks to Aria's concoction—a soothing gel made from the scarletsky flower that relaxes the mind. Idril and Ophelia slowly get up, averting their gaze from the dark goddess.
"Hurt? I would never!" Asmodea smirks, clearly jesting.
"I know you're not real," Aria says, holding her torch tightly in one hand as she walks towards Asmodea. But Asmodea frowns and backs up before the light reaches her. Aria stops, proving her point. Asmodea smirks annoyingly, finding Aria impudent. Aria's confidence returns as she realizes she was right. She looks at Idril and Ophelia, who are both amazed at Aria's bravery.
"Let's get out of here," Aria faces her teammates as they head towards the exit, now visible due to the green light from the chandeliers. Asmodea watches them as they walk away. However, as they approach the exit, they notice a black silhouette of someone barring the door. Aria and her team stop in their tracks as the person blocking the door comes closer to them.
"I may not be able to do anything against you, but she can," Asmodea confidently proclaims. A woman clad in black armor stands before Aria and her team. She summons daggers from each hand as if by magic. Her silver hair is apparent from beneath the black helmet she wears, and there is a glint of yellow glow from the slit of her helmet. But there was something on the helmet. Aria recognized the red gem that was on the helmet's forehead. A gem from the crown!
"We need to fight," Aria says, having no choice as her teammates assume fighting stances, prepared for the upcoming battle. Idril nocks an arrow, Ophelia readies her wand, and Aria clutches one of her vials.
But before they could begin, the ground shakes. Aria looks behind her and sees Asmodea disabling the barrier around Calanis with just a touch before disappearing into thin air. In an instant, the woman in black armor dashes towards Calanis with inhuman speed, breaking her chains. She places something on Calanis' forehead, and suddenly, a blinding red light fills the room. Aria and her team cover their eyes, overwhelmed by the sudden brightness.
"Yes! I am free once again!" another woman's voice is heard. When the brightness fades, Aria and her team are appalled by the scene in front of them. Calanis, now restored to her full power, floats in the air, her white gown flowing beautifully. The red gemstone adorns her forehead, and her red eyes gaze at the ceiling with great ecstasy. "Thank you, my goddess," Calanis expresses her gratitude for being freed from her eternal binds.
Calanis slowly descends and steps onto the cold stone floor barefoot. She gazes at Aria and her team with her malicious red eyes and licks her lips as she says in a sinister tone, "It's been a while since I tasted young blood."
"Mr. James?" Ophelia called out to the man who had just arrived. It turned out to be their proctor, James Llarme. "What are you doing here? Is the exam over?" Idril inquired, worried that they may have already failed. "No, no, you're just on schedule," James reassured Idril. He glanced at Aria, then at the woman inside the barrier. Aria was suspicious of James; she had heard him say her real name. She pondered why he would say that and how he knew. However, she chose to remain silent to avoid dragging her teammates into an unwanted conflict.
James walked around the barrier, just outside the magic circle. "Do you know who this is?" he asked Aria and her team. The woman inside was silent, merely gazing at James. Aria and her team also remained silent, waiting for James to answer his own question. "Queen Calanis, the first ruler of the elven kingdom of Luminas," James revealed, locking eyes with the woman inside. Aria and her team felt uneasy about this revelation. "I have never heard of that name," Idril insisted, his hand trembling as he looked at the woman. "Back then, the three kingdoms were one, known as Luminas. Queen Calanis is the progenitor of all elvenkind," James proclaimed, continuing his lecture and making Idril uneasy. "Here's a fun fact! Queen Calanis is the goddess Lunaria's daughter!" James revealed, smiling sinisterly at Idril. "They never mentioned anything about that in any books or lectures!" Idril responded to James' revelations. "Well, of course, you wouldn't know, it was erased from history!" James casually dropped another revelation, his hand playing with an arrow bolt. Aria and the team were perplexed and uneasy about the sudden revelations. "You must be wondering why this woman here is in chains and sealed inside a barrier?" James teased the group. Aria and the team were reluctant to admit it, but they were interested in the answer. James looks at each of them, observing their facial expressions then smirks. "Behold, the First Demon Lord of Solandis, Queen Calanis!," James proudly introduced the woman, unfolding the mystery but opening up even more questions. They gasped at the sight and the danger they were truly in. "To know that you have descended from a Demon Lord would be beyond humiliating and revolting, don't you agree?" James teased Idril, winking at him with a sinister look. Ophelia looked at Idril's reaction and found him frozen with fear. "How do you know all this? You're not even an elf!" Ophelia bravely asked James. James looked at Ophelia and smirked. "Of course I know," he said, as he was enveloped in darkness and slowly morphed into a different person. Aria's eyes widened as she recognized the person disguised as James. Her long, blood-red hair unfurled, revealing her snow-white skin, yellow eyes, and red lips. Her black, flowing gown rested beautifully on her body, with the obsidian crown shining with one red gemstone on her head. "A-Asmodea," Aria muttered to herself, her heart sinking and freezing in fear.
"An aunt should be able to know everything about their niece," Asmodea mocks, looking at Calanis with pity. "Look what they've done to my poor, poor niece," Asmodea playfully teases.
"Yo-you're the dark goddess!" Ophelia, in a panic, carelessly spouts. She would run in hysteria if she wasn't frozen with fear. Asmodea directs her malicious gaze at Ophelia. "I detest being called that!" Asmodea angrily responds, insulted at being called a dark goddess. She locks eyes with Ophelia, and then suddenly, Ophelia feels as if her head has left her body. She sees the room revolving around her then falls on the ground. She is looking at the scene on the floor, looking at her teammates from below, she can taste her own blood as she shouts, but no voice is heard. She locks eyes with the dark goddess who was grinning maliciously at her decapitated head. Suddenly, Ophelia's mind returns to reality and she realizes she just hallucinated being decapitated. She lets go of her torch and wand, snuffing out her torch as it rolls on the ground. She holds her neck in dread as she falls to the ground, her knees giving out in fear.
"Ophelia!" Aria catches her as she falls to the ground. Idril, who is bewildered, looks absentmindedly at Ophelia, dropping his torch on the ground and snuffing out the flame. Asmodea becomes fascinated with the poor children who are petrified in fear.
"Aria Nightbloom, how I've longed to see you once again," Asmodea says, looking at Aria who is desperately holding her teammates close. Aria snaps out of her fear, seeing her teammates in need of help. She inhales and exhales, trying to calm her nerves. "I've been looking for you, you know? I don't know how you managed to hide from me for so long, but I won't let you escape again like last time," Asmodea reassures Aria. Her serious tone makes the air heavier. "You have something of mine," Asmodea points at her crown's missing gemstones.
Aria is confused. She doesn't know what Asmodea is referring to, but as she looks at Asmodea's crown, she remembers the events at the trial back at the Royal castle. Zephyr had shown her a red gemstone that was found in her belongings. Then, connecting the dots of the aftermath of the fight there, she remembers the pouch given to her by Dorothy. Aria becomes nervous as she rummages through her pocket for the pouch.
"That's right. That old fool Zephyr was more cunning than I gave him credit for," Asmodea snickers at the thought of Zephyr. "Give it to me!" she demands, holding out her snow-white hand in front of Aria.
Aria has been bothered by something for a while now. Why are they still alive when Asmodea could have easily killed them and taken the gem from her? Aria tests her theory and takes out the holy pouch from her pocket. "Here, come and get it," Aria mocks Asmodea, holding out her hand with the pouch. Asmodea's smile turns into a frown; she is not amused by the cocky Aria.
"You know, that Zephyr. How I would love to break his statue into pieces. But it turns out he was who he claimed to be," Asmodea starts to talk as she walks around Aria, just outside the brightness of the torch Aria is holding. "That pathetic seal of his didn't work on me, but his crafty curse left me unable to leave the castle, can you believe it?" She looks at Aria with a playful gaze, almost amused at her own predicament, and then looks at Calanis. "I spent five years just trying to break his curse. It turns out it was none of the spells I know, an original spell he made just for me," Asmodea continues, expressing her annoyance at Zephyr's spell, but it seems like she admires Zephyr for it. "To be able to create your own spell is amazing in itself, but to create it immediately is something that befits a man of his station," Asmodea sighs, staring at the chandeliers above.
While Asmodea is busy with her monologue, Aria takes out a small vial, opens it, and makes Idril and Ophelia take a whiff of its contents. "So here we are, since I couldn't go out yet, I needed to create my own set of 'Heroes' to do the will of the goddess," Asmodea refers to herself as that goddess, revealing her true intentions to Aria. "It was really great timing that you came here, Aria Nightbloom," Asmodea smiles at Aria, almost genuinely. "It was truly the goddess' will," Asmodea declares, pointing at herself. "Two birds with one stone, right?" she adds.
Aria then realizes that this was Asmodea's plan all along. From the time she entered the dungeon, to the accidental path they took, until she solved the puzzle to the sealing chamber, Asmodea has been following her movements since she woke up in Dorothy's cabin. She couldn't escape her after all, the thought dawns on her.
"Ophelia, Idril, let's go. This woman cannot hurt us," Aria says, helping her teammates who have snapped out of their fear thanks to Aria's concoction—a soothing gel made from the scarletsky flower that relaxes the mind. Idril and Ophelia slowly get up, averting their gaze from the dark goddess.
"Hurt? I would never!" Asmodea smirks, clearly jesting.
"I know you're not real," Aria says, holding her torch tightly in one hand as she walks towards Asmodea. But Asmodea frowns and backs up before the light reaches her. Aria stops, proving her point. Asmodea smirks annoyingly, finding Aria impudent. Aria's confidence returns as she realizes she was right. She looks at Idril and Ophelia, who are both amazed at Aria's bravery.
"Let's get out of here," Aria faces her teammates as they head towards the exit, now visible due to the green light from the chandeliers. Asmodea watches them as they walk away. However, as they approach the exit, they notice a black silhouette of someone barring the door. Aria and her team stop in their tracks as the person blocking the door comes closer to them.
"I may not be able to do anything against you, but she can," Asmodea confidently proclaims. A woman clad in black armor stands before Aria and her team. She summons daggers from each hand as if by magic. Her silver hair is apparent from beneath the black helmet she wears, and there is a glint of yellow glow from the slit of her helmet. But there was something on the helmet. Aria recognized the red gem that was on the helmet's forehead. A gem from the crown!
"We need to fight," Aria says, having no choice as her teammates assume fighting stances, prepared for the upcoming battle. Idril nocks an arrow, Ophelia readies her wand, and Aria clutches one of her vials.
But before they could begin, the ground shakes. Aria looks behind her and sees Asmodea disabling the barrier around Calanis with just a touch before disappearing into thin air. In an instant, the woman in black armor dashes towards Calanis with inhuman speed, breaking her chains. She places something on Calanis' forehead, and suddenly, a blinding red light fills the room. Aria and her team cover their eyes, overwhelmed by the sudden brightness.
"Yes! I am free once again!" another woman's voice is heard. When the brightness fades, Aria and her team are appalled by the scene in front of them. Calanis, now restored to her full power, floats in the air, her white gown flowing beautifully. The red gemstone adorns her forehead, and her red eyes gaze at the ceiling with great ecstasy. "Thank you, my goddess," Calanis expresses her gratitude for being freed from her eternal binds.
Calanis slowly descends and steps onto the cold stone floor barefoot. She gazes at Aria and her team with her malicious red eyes and licks her lips as she says in a sinister tone, "It's been a while since I tasted young blood."
